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Karl marx view on society
Karl Marx and his contribution to sociology
Karl marx social theory of social class
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When asked to describe contemporary New Zealand society, class is not a term that will occur to most people. The word conjures up Dickensian images of factories and poverty, haves and have-nots; and radicalism such as the works of Marx. Certainly, not today's modern society. If asked, most people would probably hold the view that it is a “relic of a vanishing industrial capitalism and a vestige of outmoded social theory, with little relevance in a world whose novelty has been variously signalled by the prefix of 'post' (Ongley, 2013). This is especially true in New Zealand, a country widely believed to have been class-less from the beginning. However, as will be shown, these beliefs, this source of national pride is based on a myth. Not only will class divisions in the form of social inequality be shown to exist today, but the theories of Marx can still be used in examining New Zealand society almost two hundred years after they were first put forth.
Karl Marx was writing at a time where issues of class, in particular the welfare of the working class was very much a prominent feature of social debate. The industrial revolution had just ended and the changes it had wrought in society were very much under the microscope. With this focus on working class conditions, Marx came to believe the working class would be the source of social revolution once they can to realize their situation and what he saw to be its cause. Therefore, they became a focus of his study. In his study of class, Marx came to define it in relation to the ownership of capital (McLennan, McManus, & Spoonley, 2010). He defined society (capitalist, industrial) as consisting of three classes. Capitalists (Bourgeoisie) live by investing capital and own t...
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...Bennett, A. (2014). Income gap growing – poll. Retrieved April 22, 2014 from http:www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11229270
McLennan, G., McManus, R., & Spoonley, P. (2010). Exploring Society: Sociology for New Zealand students (3rd ed.). Auckland, New Zealand: Pearson Education New Zealand.
Ongley, P. (2013). Work and inequality in neoliberal New Zealand. New Zealand Sociology, 28(3), 136-163.
Rashbrooke, M. (2014). The inequality debate – an introduction. Wellington, New Zealand: Bridget Williams Books.
Roper, B. (1997). The changing class structure. In Rudd, C., & Roper, B. (Eds.), The political economy of New Zealand. (pp.79-99). Auckland. New Zealand: Oxford University Press.
The Open Polytechnic of New Zealand. (2014). Module 2: Constructing difference. In 74111 Aotearoa New Zealand Society. Lower Hutt: Author.
Mooney, G (2003b). Inequity in Australian health care: how do we progress from here? Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, Vol. 27, No. 3, pp. 267-270. viewed online 4th September, 2011.
Elder, Catriona. "The Working Man Is Everywhere: Class and National Identity." Being Australian: Narratives of National Identity. Crows Nest, N.S.W: Allen & Unwin, 2007. 40-53. Print.
The working class stays working and the middle class stays being middle. Author Nick Tingle, wrote “The vexation of class”, he argues that the working class and the middle class are separated educationally based on culture and the commonplace. Tingle uses his own personal experiences and Ethos, to effectively prove his point about the difference in class based on culture ; although, Tingle also falls short by adding unnecessary information throughout the article that weakens his belief entirely.
Is class still relevant in Australia? To facilitate this question, the readings of Karl Marx, Fredrick Engels, Max Weber, Helen Marshall, R.W. Connell and T.H. Irving will be considered.
The myth that Australia is a classless society is still, till this day, circulating. With education opportunities differing, depending on your status in society and socioeconomic background, not all Australians share the same opportunity of education. Whether being a middle class citizen or an “elite” or from working class, all education opportunities offered, will be influenced by your financial status and hierarchy in society. Power can influence the outcome of an individual’s life.
The working class stay working and the middle class stay being middle. Author Nick Tingle, wrote “The vexation of class”, he argues that the working class and the middle class are separated based on culture and the commonplace. Tingle uses his own personal experiences and Ethos, to effectively prove his point about the difference in class; although, Tingle also falls short by adding unnecessary information throughout the article that weakens his belief entirely.
Karl Marx (1818 - 1883) and Max Weber (1864 - 1920) both recognised that economic categories played a large part in social class structure. Nineteenth Century history plays an important part in understanding how class influenced identities. The Industrial revolution was changing the structure of the communities, the rich or landowners having a far better standard of living with better education, health care, property ownership and power than the poor. The working class would have a daily struggle to survive. The change in Trade Unions meant that the working class had a voice, helping to push their needs forward, looking for better standards of living and working conditions. Marx's concept of class was based around the production of goods. The emerging owners of these goods, or capital, were known as the ruling class. Marxism would define only two classes, the ruling class and the working class. The influence on identity of these two class structures would be very relevant in those days. The working class would earn a wage from the production of the goods but the ruling class would sell these for a profit and exploit the workers. The two classes were on two different levels of wealth, property ownership and social standing and they would struggle to mix, they were dependent on each other but the rewards would be unevenly matched.
McKay, S. (2010). Where do we stand on inequality? Reflections on resent research and its implications. Journal of Poverty and Social Justice. (18), 19-33.
Reveley, J. (1999), From “Supplementary Seagulls” to “Cut Price Casuals”: Changing Patterns of Casual Employment on the New Zealand Waterfront 1951-1997, Labour and Industry, 10(1): 35-56.
Lower-upper class believes that money and power are very important in life. The lower-upper class members, also called 'new money,' work harder for what they have as compared to the upper-upper class because most have earned their position in the class, as opposed to being 'old money' (Norton...
According to Marx class is determined by property associations not by revenue or status. It is determined by allocation and utilization, which represent the production and power relations of class. Marx’s differentiate one class from another rooted on two criteria: possession of the means of production and control of the labor power of others. The major class groups are the capitalist also known as bourgeoisie and the workers or proletariat. The capitalist own the means of production and purchase the labor power of others. Proletariat is the laboring lower class. They are the ones who sell their own labor power. Class conflict to possess power over the means of production is the powerful force behind social growth.
According to Anthony Giddens, a British sociologist, and David Held, a Professor of Politics and International Relations at Durham University, in their book titled Classes, Power, and Conflict: Classical and Contemporary Debates, “…a social class is defined by its place in the ensemble of social practices…which includes political and ideological relations.” (“Classes, Power, and Conflict”) The distinction of the classes presented in 1984 included economic means, culture, and level of knowledge. Proles, the lowest class, perform the majority of the physical labors required in Oceania. They have the most freedom, but lack the knowledge and ambition to overthrow the government. Big Brother gives them items such as alcohol, porn, and gambling with the name of ‘Prolefeed’ (Orwell, George). Proles are the majority of the population in Oceania and are the poorest. But, they have a culture which includes singing. Outer Party members, the bourgeoisie, perform most government jobs that require an education. Although, Outer Party members are not allowed to make the laws, they only implement them into Oceania’s society. Therefore, they are more educated than the Proles. While they are more educated, they are monitored via telescreens every second of their life. Big Brother, also, encourages them to spy on each other. Rations are severely low for the Outer Party members almost to the point of
Cheyne, C., O’Brien, M., Belgrave, M. (2008). Social Policy: In Aotearoa New Zealand (4th ed). Australia and New Zealand: Oxford University Press
Karl Marx was a philosopher, a sociologist, economist, and a journalist. His work in economics laid a foundation for the modern understanding of distribution of labor, and its relation to wealth generation. His theories about the society, economic structure and politics, which is known as Marxism led to him developing social classes. He later on showed how social classes were determined by an individual’s position in relation to the production process, and how they determine his or her political views. According to Karl Marx, capitalism was a result of the industrial revolution. Capitalism is a system that has been founded on the production of commodities for the purpose of sale. Marx defined the
Different social classes can be distinguished by inequalities in such areas as power, authority, and wealth, working and living conditions, life-styles, life span, education, religion, and culture. The 19th century was primarily divided into four distinct social groups (or classes): “upper class”, “middle class”, “working class”, and “under class”. Beneath the working class of industrial workers, submerged the “under class”. They were often referred to as the “sunken people”-- those of which lived in poverty. Each class included a wide range of occupations of varying status and income; there was a large gap between the classes. Early in the 19th century the labels “working classes” and “middle classes” were already coming into frequent usage. The old inherited aristocracy, reinforced by the new gentry who owned their success to business, industry, and the professions, evolved into an “upper class” which grimly maintained control over the political system, depriving not only the working classes, but also the middle classes of a voice in (the) political developments. However, the increasingly powerful middle classes undertook organized demonstrations to remedy this situation while the working class became hostile to not only the upper class, but the middle class as well. The working class was not exactly the lowest class but endured a lot of hardships. They endured unemployment, long hours with little pay; factories full of filth, animals and pests, harsh climate/temperatures,...